Method and apparatus for coiling thermoplastic material



June 25, 1957 2,796,631

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COILING THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL E. STEGMANN 3 Shee ts-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 8, 1953 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COILING THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL Filed Sept. 8,1953

E. STEGMANN June 25, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 a a J 8 4 7 4 4 4 oo 3 u 5 u 4. 4 u 5 9% w 4 Q4 3 3 g 6 2 l .2: 4 v v 5 4 4 22 3 \0 u 2 2 f.- 1 l M .uml w w 4 S 0 2 a? 2% x M 1 0.? A f r I m I v. w H r l H 4 git 2 A .y 2 m 2 (A40 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COILING THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL Filed Sept. 8, 1953 E. STEGMANN June 25, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN l/F/V 70K: fin 67 5 26 7167 1.- I \5/ Z k/% vmeans eliminating said disadvantage. vention essentially proposes to heat thermoplastic stock Patented June 25, 195

'METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR .COILING THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL .Ernst Ste mann Wangen, near fllten, Switzerland, as-

signorto Emil Schenker A. G., Schonenwerd, Solothurn, Switzerland Appiication September 8, 1%3, Serial No. 379,931

Claims priority, application Switzerland September 5, 1952 10 Claims. (Cl. 18-11) This invention relates to a method and means for obtaining coils from lengthy stock material.

Up to the present, when coiling thermoplastic wire and strip material, such material-was helically wound on a rotating mandrel until the desired length of the coil hadbeen attained, whereupon the coil, together with the mandrel 'carrying the same, was introduced into a hot and subsequently into a cold water bath, and the mandrel :then-was removed from the coil for the use of manu-' facturing. another coil. Such known procedure obviously is rather time-consuming and complicated, in particular .onaccount of the requirement of several water baths.

'The mainobject'of my present invention is to provide The present inmaterial bya stream of gas while said material is being fed :to. coiling tools, whereupon the-turns produced are cooled by. a stream of a gaseous medium.

The thermoplastic-stock material is conveyed according 'to the new process through a hot air stream and, immediately thereafter, the coil .is cooled by means of an air stream.

The invention further deals with means for carrying into'efiect the-aforesaid process, said means comprising rollers for-feeding the stock, coiling tools which control the diameter ofthe coil to-be produced and thepitch of the helical turns,.-and two nozzles disposed immediately adjacent said-tools, one of said nozzles communicating .withmeans forproducing a heating stream of a gaseous medium, and ,the other of saidnozzles. communicating with. meanslfor producing a cooling stream of a gaseous medium.

The apparatus advantageously may be so constructed that itmay be .used either forthe production of coils'of .thermoplastic stock..or1metallic stock, whereby in 'the latter .case the gas streams are cut out.

'Oneembodiment of my present invention is shown .in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. lushows the upper portion of a coiling machine in elevation and partly in verticalv section taken on line I-I of Figs. 3 and 5,

.Fig. 2 is.a sideview of the machine, partly in vertical section taken on line 11-II of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a cross-section takenon line III.III of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line IV.IV' of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 shows a detail of the machine, partly in side view and partly in a vertical section taken on line V V of Fig. l, and drawn to an enlarged scale.

The coiling machine shown comprises a box-like housing in the lower part of which is'disposed a reel 11 for the stockmaterial, which is rotatably mounted-on a vertical axle 12 (Fig. 2). Above the reel 11 is situated an electric drive-motor 13 which is suspended from a carriage14which by means ofsockets 15 is movably guided ,on twohorizontal bars 16 which in turn are rig idly secured to the housing-by means of lugs 17. Parallel to .the bars 16 andintermediate thereof is. arranged a threaded spindle 18 which is rotatably but:axia1ly immovably mounted and accommodated in vthe.housing 10. The spindle 18 at one end carries a handwheel 19 which is disposed outside of the housing and through its threaded portion engages a nut. 20 mounted on the carriage-14. By turning the handwheel. 19, the carriage 14-and the motor 13 thus may be moved to and fro.

The motor 13 is provided with a V-belt pulley;21 (only schematically shown in the drawing), which -comprises two conical half portions which, in known manner, are pushed against each otherby a spring so as tomaintain the V-belt ZZtightly in position. The belt 22 runsover a pulley 23 mounted on a drive shaft 24 which is rotatablymounted in the housing 10. A pinion '25 keyed to shaft 24 meshes with a gearwheel 26 which, asshown in Fig. 3, bymeans of a sleeve27 is loosely mounted rotatable ona further shaft 28 which by means of ball-bearings29 .is rotatably mounted in the machine housing .10. A rotary body 30 is keyed to shaft 28 in an axially movable relation. A helical. compression spring 31 tends .to

move the body 30 towards the gearwheel26. The .latter comprises arin132 which. extends somewhat overbody 30. The inner face of rim-32 is conical tozthus coact witha conicallining 33 of.body.-30. Lining 33.consists iota material which increases the friction, such as rubber, .fiber and the like. The-gearwheel endface remote from body 30 abuts against-a .gearwheel34 which is keyedto shaft 28, whereby the gearwheel 26 is secured againstaxial movement. 'rElements servi-ug to move rotary body 30 are described further below.

Vertically above said shaft 28, a further shaft 35 is rotatably mountedin-housing 10 by means of pendulum ball bearings 36.. As shown in Fig. 2, agearwheel 37 .is mounted on said shaft 35, which coacts with gearwheel 34 and has the same number of teeth as the latter. The end of shaft 35 which faces the machine frontside is mounted by means of respective pendulum ball bearings 36 in a slide 38 which is vertically movable in a track or slot of housing 10. The slide38 is guided by rails'39 which are secured tothe housing by means of screws, as shown in Fig. 1. In the upper portion of s1ide'38 is provided a recess 40 in which is inserted a helical compression spring 41 of which the upper end bears against a plate'42. The latter is engaged to a set screw 43 which is screwed into block 45 secured to the housing-cover 44. Spring 41 thus tends to move the slide 38 downwardly.

The two shafts '28 and 35 .on the machine frontside project from the housing 10, and each carries a transport roller 46. These two rollers are alikeand destined to coact with each other. Each of these rollers is provided with circumferential grooves which are of substantially semicircular cross-section having different sizes. The rollers 46 are keyed to their respective shafts 35, 28, but are axially movable. For such purpose, the shaft-end is provided with a threaded portion, as shown in Fig. 2, on which is screwed a set'nut 47. Tothe end-face of roller 46 is screwed a ring 48 which is engaged in a circumferential groove of nut 47 and thus interconnects the two elements 46 and 47 for axial movement. For the-purpose of axially adjusting the rollers 46, therefore, only the nuts 47 have to be turned. The adjusted position of the rollers 46 is secured by means of-a screw 49 which is screwed in the shaft-end and comprises a head projecting over the threaded portion of the shaft, which head may be tightened against'nut 47 to locate the same.

To the machine frontside is pivoted a segment 50 on a pin 51. 'A clamping screw 52 passes through aslot in segment-50, which-is curved'concentrically'with the pivotal axisof the segment and is threaded-into the frontwall of housing 10. Screw/-52- together with said slot,

limits the degree of swing of segment 50 and permits the latter to be located in adjusted position. In a recess of segment 50 a roller mount 53 is disposed for longitudinal movement by means of a threaded spindle. 54

'having a knob 55. A further clamping screw 56 serves for clamping the mount 53 in its adjusted position.

of a spindle having a knob 60, is longitudinally movable in a recess of 'a block 61. To clamp the roller arm 59 in the adjusted position, a clamping screw 62 is provided. The block 61 by means of an axle 63 is movably mounted on segment 50 so that it may be swung out of the plane of swing of the latter. Such movement may be produced by means of a set screw 64 which 'is threaded in block 61 and of which the free endjbears against an extension of segment 50 (not shown in the drawings). To positively locate the block 61 in its adjusted position, a furtherclamping screw 65 is provided. Said two rollers 57, 58 serve as pushers for forming the coil turns and, above all, determine the diameter of the latter. By swinging the block 61 out of the plane of segment 50, the pitch of the coil turns may be controlled to a certain degree. For the same purpose there is provided a finger 66 which laterally abuts against the resulting turns and which is disposed adjustably at one end of a pin 68 andtmay be positively located with the aid of a screw 67. Pin 68 is longitudinally movable and rotatable'in a recess of segment 50, and may be positively located in desired position by means of a clamping screw 69.

v In the range of the coiling tools 57, 58 and 66 is disposed a pin 70 (Figs. 1 and which projects from the frontwall of the machine housing at right angles thereto. Pin 70 is secured in a carriage 71 which is vertically guided in a slot 72. A set screw '73 serves to clearly shown in Pig. 5, pin 70 comprises two concentrically nested tubes 74 and 75 of which the outer tube 74, is secured in carriage 71 by means of a bushing 76. The front end of tube 74 is closed with the exception of an aperture for the innertube 75. A cap 77.is mounted on the front end of pin 70 and has a cross-bore 78 which communicates with the bore of inner tube 75 and opens in a longitudinal recess or slot 79 of cap 77. The cap together with the respective recesses 78 and 79 forms a nozzle. At some distance from cap 77, a ring 80 is mounted on the outer tube 74. A bore 81 passing rais screwed into the bushing 76 and, at the other end, by

means of a nut 83'is connected to a pipe conduit 84. A further threaded nipple 85 also is screwed into bushing 76 and, via a bore 86, communicates with the inside of tube 74. A pipe conduit 88 is connected to nipple 85 with the aid of a nut 87. At a suitable point in the machine housing 10 is disposed a compressor (not shown) and a motor for driving the same. The suction-side of the compressor isconnected to pipe 84, and the pressure side is connected to pipe 88. The latter extends through an electric heating device (not shown). Air from the atmosphere is sucked through the nozzle 7779 and ejected in heated state through the nozzle 80, 81. r

A sleeve 89 is inserted in the'front wall of the machine housing 10, as shown in Fig. 3. On the front portion of sleeve89 is mounted a bushing 90 to which is secured, by screws, a frame 91, 92. a The latter comprises a vertical plate 92 standing at right angles to the machine front 4 side and being provided with an eyelet 93 which is disposed below pin 70 and serves for guiding the stock to be coiled. Plate 92 is exchangeable in accordance with the stock diameter, and it also may be called a coiling tool. Frame 91, 92 forms a guide for a vertically movable carriage 94 which comprises an arm carrying a roller 95 (Figs. 1 and 3). The latter is supported on an eccentric portion 96 of a shaft 97 which is rotatably mounted in said sleeve 89. By turning the shaft 97, carriage 94 thus may be moved upwardly or downwardly, the carriage weight being instrumental to hold the roller 95 in contact with the eccentric 96. A cutting tool 98 is secured to carriage 94 by means of a set screw 99. Tool 98 partly rests on plate 92, and, together with the latter, forms a pair of scissors for severing the coils formed. Tool 98 may be adjusted relative to carriage 94 by means'of a set screw 100, by loosening screw 99. Bushing 90 is axially movable to permit adjustment of the eyelet 93 with respect to the two nozzles 77-79 and 80, 81 in the direction of pin 70. To facilitate such latter movement, a set screw 101 is disposed in the closed end-face of sleeve 90, of which the free end may bear against the shaft 97 or the eccentric lug 96 thereof. To clamp sleeve 90 in its position, a clamping screw 102 is provided. By moving pin 70 with the aid of carriage 71, the spacing of the nozzles from eyelet 93 may be varied. On the driving shaft 24 is mounted a sprocket 103 which through a chain 164 is coupled to a second sprocket 105 (Figs. 3 and 4). Sprocket 105 is mounted on the driving axle of a steplessly variable gearing unit 106 which by means of a frame 107 is secured in the machine housing 10. To permit adjustment of the gear 106, the latter is provided with a lever 108 which projects through the housing 10 therewithout. The axle of gear 106 carries a cam disk 109 which peripherally is engaged'by a feeler roller 110 (Fig. 4). The latter is rotatably mounted on the free end of an arm 111 which is keyed on the inner end of said shaft 97. A cam 112 disposed on the circumference of disk 109 causes arm 111 to swing and, thereby, move the tool 98 upwardly. A spring (not shown) holds roller '110 in contact with the circumference of cam disk 109.

pivoted on a pin 118 to housing 10 to move in a horizontal plane. The other arm of lever 117 carries an adjustable stop screw 119 which, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, coacts with a web 120 which interconnects two parallel swing arms 121. On shaft 35 is mounted a sleeve 122 which is rotatable with respect to shaft 35 and is secured in its axial position by means of two rings 123. The two swing arms 121 are pivoted on pins 124 to said sleeve 122. Approximately at the midpoint of each arm 121 is secured a pin 125 which is engaged in a circumferential groove of said rotary body 30. The parts last described serve for axially moving the body 30 and, thus, for coupling the gearwheel 26 to the shaft 35, or, respectively, to disengage the gearwheel 26 from said shaft.

To manufacture coils of thermoplastic wire stock with the aid of the machine described, the procedure e. g. may be as follows: 7 7

Two devices 126 and 127 secured to the frontwall of machine housing 10 serve for straightening the stock. Each of said two devices'comprises the rotatable rollers 128 between which the material must pass.

The wire stock is drawn 011 from the reel 11' and fed, through the two straightening devices 126 and 127, to the transport rollers 46. The latter clamp the Wire under the action of spring 41in one of their circumferential grooves.

The rollers 46tmove thewire towards .the coiling tools,

the wire running'over the bore 81 of nozzle '80, 81. From the latter issues a hot-airstream through which the wire moves. The temperature of said airstream may be 80 C. for. example, which is sufiicient in order to make the-stock plastically deformable "The wire thus softened -is pushed towards the roller 57 where it is bent downwardly and then'runs up on tothe-second roller 58. The

latter performs the correspondingturn and, at the same time, imparts thereto a-certain pitch. The wire then moves through the eyelet 93. "The turn being formed then passes thefinger 66 which corrects the pitch of the turns as required. The completed turns thereby are moved into the range ofnozzle77 79 through which cold air is sucked in from the'atmosphere. The cold-air stream thus produced cools the turns so that the latter solidify in'theirnew form. 'Thepin79 which is provided with the twonozzles, stands at-rightangles to the feeding direction-of'the rollerstdandprojects into the produced coil.

When the coil 'has attained "the desired length, the

.cam 116 of disk 109 contacts theroller 115 whereby the arms121 by means of-thetwolevers 113, 117 are so actuated that they move the-body 30 against the action of spring 31. The lining 33 thereby is disengaged from the rim 33 of gearwheel 26 which thus is uncoupled from shaft 35. The two rollers 46 thus stand still, and the wire feed is interrupted. In the next following moment, the cam 112 will be engaged by roller 110, and the arm 111 thereby is moved. Tool 98 thereby is moved upwardly so as to shear the wire running through eyelet 93. The coil produced thereby is severed.

Tool 98 then moves downwardly again, after cam 112 had passed the roller 110, and the gearwheel 26 under the influence of spring 31 is again coupled to shaft 35 when cam 116 leaves roller 115. The production of the coils then proceeds as described.

The length of the coils produced in relation to the length of wire stock required therefor, is determined by the gear ratio of gear unit 106 and may be adjusted by means of lever 108. The speed of production per se may be varied by means of handwheel 19, in that hereby the gear ratio between pulley 21 of the motor and pulley 23 of drive shaft 24 may be varied.

When the machine has to be set for working wire stock of another diameter, the rollers 46 by means of the adjusting nuts 47 may be axially moved so that those circumferential grooves which best fit the wire crosssection, will be situated in the track of the wires.

The machine described has the advantage that it permits the continuous production of coils of any desired length and that the cumbersome working with water is eliminated. The airstream used for cooling the turns is heated by the latter and already possesses a temperature higher than that of the atmosphere when being fed to the electric heating device (not shown), where it will be heated to approximately 80 C. and then blown towards the stock. In this manner, it is possible to use a comparatively weak heating device.

The machine, in slightly modified form, also may be used for working lengthy strip stock into coils. When the compressor and the electric heating device are eliminated, the machine described may also be used for making coils from metallic stock.

In a modification (not shown) the machine may comprise two coiling tools only one controlling the diameter of the coils to be produced, and the other controlling the pitch of the turns. Thus for example, one roller 57 and the finger 66 would suflice for bringing about the coiling operation.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An apparatus for producing coils from lengthy thermoplastic stock material, comprising a plurality of coiling tools engageable with said stock material and arranged for controlling the diameter of the coils to be produced and the'pitch of the turnsofsaid coils, a plurality 'of transport rollers for feeding said stock material to said coiling tools, a plurality of nozzle meansydisposed immediately adjacentsaid coiling'tools and the'path-of movement of said stockmaterial, first means for producing a heated stream of-a gaseousmediurn and communicating with onecf said nozzle means to blow said heated gaseous mediumabout said stock material immediately prior to the arrival thereof at said'coiling tools, second means communicating with another of-said nozzle means for drawing a cool stream of said gaseous'medium about said coils immediately-after formationthereof by said coiling tools, said first means and said second means communicating with one another, whereby said cool stream of said gaseous-'mediumyafter being heated by the cooling of said coils, is conducted from said second means to saidfirst means-for-furtherheating and reuse as said-heated stream of said gaseousmedium.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a hollow memberdisposedsubstantially-axiallyof said coils being'formedby said coiling tools and'projecting through at least-a-portion-of said formed coils, said nozzle means being mounted on said hollow member, said hollow member defining in its interior a plurality of passageways, one of said passageways being in communication with said one of said nozzle means and with said first means, and another of said passageways being in communication with the other nozzle means and with said second means.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, said hollow member comprising two concentrically arranged tubes having bores, the bore of the inner tube constituting said other passageway, and the space defined by the bore of the outer tube and provided between said inner tube and said outer tube constituting said one passageway.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, further including means defining an eyelet for guiding the stock material with respect to said nozzle means, through which eyelet the stock material may pass.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, said eyelet being adjustable in a direction substantially parallel to the axial direction of said coils formed by said coiling tools.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, further including means for varying the spacing of said hollow member from said eyelet;

7. A method of producing coils from thermoplastic material, comprising the steps of passing said material through a first stream of hot gaseous medium to cause said material to become soft and pliable, transforming said material into coils while in such soft and pliable condition, passing said coils through a second stream of a relatively cool gaseous medium to cool said coils and fix the shape thereof, further heating said second stream, and subsequently reusing said heated second stream as said hot first stream, whereby the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of said second stream to the temperature at which said first stream is passed over said material is reduced by virtue of the heat originally absorbed by said second stream during cooling of said coils.

8. In an apparatus for producing coils from thermoplastic material; transport roller means for feeding said material, at least one forming roll positioned in the path of feeding movement of said material, said material contacting the periphery of said forming roll and being fed past the same to be bent thereby into coil shape, a hollow, stationary pin extending substantially at right angles to the direction of feeding movement of said material and substantially axially of the turns of coils formed by said forming roll, said pin extending into the interior of said coils adjacent said forming roll and being spaced from said coils, said pin being provided in its interior with two passageways, a first nozzle carried by said pin communicating with one of said passageways and located adjacent the path along which said material is led, a

second nozzle carried by said pin adjacent said first nozzle and communicating with the other of said passageways and located in said interior of said coils, a compressor having a pressure side and a suction side, a first conduit connecting the pressure side of said compressor to said one passageway and to said first nozzle, a second conduit connecting the suction side of said compressor to said other passageway and to said second nozzle, and heating means located in at least one of said conduits for additionally heating a gaseous medium drawn in through said second nozzle and subsequently to be expelled through said first nozzle to' soften said material prior to contact thereof with said forming roll.

9. In an apparatus according to claim 8, guide means located adjacent said forming roll and provided with an eyelet'through which said material passes immediately subsequent to its deflection by said forming roll, and means operatively connected to said guide means for adjusting the latter in a first direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of said pin and in a second direction 20 perpendicular to said axis, whereby the spacing of the turns of said coils and the diameter of said turns may be varied.

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